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Ten Towers
Ten Towers is the keep of House Harlaw, located on the isle of Harlaw in Ironman's Bay. It is the newest keep constructed in the Iron Islands. History Lord Theomore Harlaw misliked the ancient seat of his house, Harlaw Hall. The old keep flooded frequently, and the dank atmosphere was, in Lord Theomore's opinion, to blame for the death of three of his children. To remedy this he began construction of a grand keep on higher ground, but for reasons unknown added nine additional towers built in nine varying architectural styles. This gives Ten Towers an odd appearance. Layout Main Hall The main hall at Ten Towers is dominated by two beaten-silver scythes, hung in such a fashion that they cross. Beneath the crossed scythes is the high seat of House Harlaw. Towers As is suggested by the name of the keep, Ten Towers does possess ten towers. They are structures with varied histories. The Book Tower This is the largest tower, octagonal and built of large, heavy stones, and is the only library in the Iron Islands. Over many years several successive Lords of House Harlaw began to collect the books that fill this tower, saving those they plundered from ships. This has given the Book Tower a very eclectic collection of books, everything from histories to trade manifests belonging to long-sunken trading cogs can be found on the dusty shelves. House Harlaw did at one time house septons who would maintain the many books, but has since dismissed them. The Salt Tower Built from basaltic rock speckled with white, the Salt Tower gained its name from its appearance. Legendarily, Lord Yggon Harlaw took the meaning differently and housed thirty-and-five salt wives in the tower. The living conditions were less than harmonious, and Lord Yggon's laughter boomed across the whole of Ten Towers when he heard his wives fighting amongst each other. The Iron Tower Looking the color of rust, the Iron Tower seems to have been built of rock quarried from the Red Mountains of Dorne. There are few who could answer how such rocks would have found their way so far north, but only a scant few did-- the Iron Tower is by far the shortest of the towers and also hosts the armory. Andrik's Tower Named for Lord Theomar's eldest surviving son, Andrik's Tower is as tall and narrow as history remembers the boy it was named after. At the top is a room with one window, echoing young Andrik's lost eye. Erik's Tower Though his name would be lost to history, a former Lord of Ten Towers envied that his son did not have a tower named after him. Erik's Tower would be the result. However, as fate would have it Lord Harlaw grew to resent his son as well. Rather than remove the name, he ordered the kitchen to be moved to the tower after his obese son snapped a gangplank and fell into the water while attempting to board his own longship. The Stone Tower This tower, though not quite as large as the Book Tower, houses the quarters of Lord Harlaw and his household. It is unremarkable, being the oldest of the towers and the one built stone quarried from the Iron Islands themselves. Seafoam Tower The westernmost of towers, this one overlooks a cliff. The waves of Ironman's Bay batter the cliffside mercilessly most days, and on the worst days the mists can be blown up the cliff face and into the lower windows of the tower. This tower has a tendency to be the dampest and the coldest as a result, and is typically used as a dungeon. Blackview The easternmost tower, Blackview looks out in the direction of the Cape of Eagles. This tower is home to the barracks of the permanent guard, though additional barracks do exist outside of the tower. Blackview is built of darker stone. The Veiled Tower So called because the sloping roof looked to be a cowl or a veil, the Veiled Tower is an infrequently-used space within the castle. Few can account for why, except that Lord Theomar had begun to build towers not for any utility but simply to build additional towers. Today the Veiled Tower serves as a storage area for plunder as it returns from the seas. Eagle's Eye Tower Some time after the death of Lord Theomar, one of his grandsons conducted a reaving of the lands around Seagard. As was their duty, Lord Mallister and his men rode forth to hurl the ironborn into the sea. They would accomplish this goal, but not before Lord Lorren Harlaw would take the eye of Lord Mallister's son. The reaving was a dismal failure save for this one prize, and so the embittered Lord Lorren would place the eye on an eastward-facing window in what became Eagle's Eye Tower. Category:Iron Islands Category:Kingdom of the Iron Islands Category:House Harlaw Category:Westeros Category:Castle